Worshipping the Sun
by randomcat23
Summary: The story of how a girl named Aki became the world's first firebender. As a young girl, Aki feels disconnected from her village and their demands. All she wants to do is make fire! And who better to ask about making fire than a dragon?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Randomcat23 does not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

* * *

This is based off a drabble I wrote in my story "We are the Future." You don't have to read that to get this, but that's where the idea came from.

Obviously, this takes place thousands upon thousands of years before ATLA. There is no Avatar yet. There can't be an Avatar without benders!

* * *

The sun was perched high, just above the cloud line. It baked the earth, dried up puddles, and made the air that swirled around the mountains unusually hot. Summer reigned supreme; a drought was upon the mountain range and the whole village was in frenzy.

Aki jogged after her older brother with empty buckets swinging from both her hands. Each day they had to travel further and further from the village to find water. The thick calluses on Aki's feet reminded her of the first day she went with her brother to find water. It seemed so long ago.

"Let's take a break," Maz breathed and slowed to a walk. He called for the break but he didn't seem tired.

"I'm fine," she insisted, "we can keep going."

Maz sighed with a smile. "'There's no point in rushing to the destination if you can't make it back to tell the tale.'"

"Do you always have to quote the priests?" Aki rested in the minimal shade under a straggly tree.

"If I'm going to become one, I might as well start talking like one." He proudly flexed a tattooed arm. Hopeful priests began earning tattoos at the age of ten. With 15 years on him, Maz's entire left arm was covered in black swirls and dotted red flames. The priests offered sacrifices to the dragons and to the sun; they spoke to the spirits for the people and had a hand in all village decision making. Aki had tried to follow her brother's footsteps, but was quickly shut down; only men could become priests.

Aki shook her head. Someone told her that Maz's phrase discouraged recklessness. Aki had heard plenty of sayings that encouraged brave acts. Her nose wrinkled at the thought. What was the point in the sayings if they contradicted each other?

After a short break the siblings started off again. When the ground turned from dust to just cracked earth they knew they were getting closer. Soon enough they found muddy banks and the small stream.

Aki struggled to fill both buckets and was glad that her long hair was pulled back to keep it from making the task worse. Maz stepped in to help her having already filled both his buckets. Reluctantly, the siblings walked out of the creek bed; the mud had felt cool on their tired feet.

The journey back would be longer now that they carried filled buckets.

* * *

"Are you excited for the solstice ceremony?" Aki asked Maz. They were close to home now. Aki could smell the smoke of sizzling fish, cooked vegetables, and fresh bread. The drought may have weakened their supplies, but they still had enough until the fall . . . hopefully.

Maz's eyes brightened. "Of course! I'll finally be a man and can begin my serious training. I plan on being the best student there." He glanced again at his tattoos and grinned. "When I'm done training, I'll become the high priest in the Great City."

It would be the first solstice ceremony for both of them. Families went every time a child came of age; for boys it was the summer of their fifteenth year and for girls, the summer of their twelfth year. Aki still had a year to wait, but from what everyone else said, going to watch was still a lot of fun.

They dumped the buckets of water into the large tub in the kitchen before hugging their mother. Rialah was a tall woman with long black hair that was always tied up. She made some of the best pottery in the village and was packing up some pieces to sell at the solstice ceremony.

"Your father is finishing dinner, don't stray too far!"

Aki went outside to lie in the setting sun. It felt good to relax after carrying water all day. She would stay here all day if she could, stretching in the light, running across the dusty paths, chasing shadows. The sun made her happy. But, a trip to the creek would be necessary tomorrow as well.

A few neighbors grumbled about the heat and the drought. One man held up a shriveled gourd, a small example of the crop devastation.

Aki rolled onto her stomach and lazily blinked her green eyes. The sun was so good to the Sun Warriors, but it also did harm. She could not hate the sun though. Her would life orbited around the Sun, much like the earth did to the great star.

"The troubles are worth it," she whispered as her father called her to eat. Aki look another look at the red sky orb and grinned.

* * *

The Great City, or Taiyou-Toshi, as the priests called it, was a vast complex of skillfully cut stone buildings. The large temple rested in the city center, with hundreds of steps leading up to its doors. An equally large plaza spread beneath the steps. Windows and trims of buildings were gold and silver with sunstones embedded right above doors.

Thousands of Sun Warriors gathered in the plaza in front of the temple. Along the edges, people had set up shops in hopes of selling their creations and exotic foods.

Aki was dressed in her best. Red paint strips went down her face. The finest turkey duck feathers Aki could find were carefully placed in her hair. Her tan, sleeveless shirt and Wooly-Pig shorts had been replaced with a red and orange dress. Wood beads dangled from the sleeves and fringes. When she twirled, she felt like the rising sun.

"Gather together, brothers and sisters!" The booming voice of the Chief echoed off the walls and drew all the Sun Warriors together. "It is time we welcomed these young boys and girls as men and women in our society!"

The roars from the crowd filled Aki's ears and she resisted covering them with her hands.

"Look, Ma! There's Maz!"

Her brother, with his chest puffed out, climbed up the stairs to the alter space where the Chief stood. The eternal flame danced wildly behind the older man and young people. Its blaze gleamed off of ritual armor and the gold decorations.

Aki's eyes widened and she stood entranced by the world's first flame. "It has been burning since the dragons and humans became allies," her father whispered in her ear. Aki nodded; she knew that. It was a gift from the dragons and from the sun! If only she could feel its warmth…she wondered what it would be like to make fire.

Loud horns interrupted her thoughts as the first boy stepped forward. He was dressed in warrior garb. A large headdress and spear were all he wore; it was customary that boys and girls became men and woman with just their tools of trade. For warriors, it was weapons, for healers, crushed herbs were painted on limbs, and for priests, they dressed in fire.

Maz was painted in blacks, reds, and oranges. His tattooed arm was highlighted by yellow. Priests were always last in rituals since they were the most important. Aki felt warmth fill her. If only she could follow her brother and serve the sun.

The sun passed over head and with it, time. Shadows claimed most of the ground by the time the future priests stepped forward. There were only eight out of a hundred or so children. Maz was the first to become a man.

The Chief beckoned her brother forward, smiling slightly and ignoring the trace of fear on the boy's face. Priests had a trial by fire. To join their sacred ranks, they had to pass their right arm through the eternal flame. It was their right arm that dealt justice and served in the sun rituals, so it must be kissed by flame.

Other little girls may have looked away, but Aki took it all in: her brother's approach to the flame, the way he passed his arm through the flames, unflinching, and then how he collapsed with the burning pain.

Healers wrapped wet cloths around the injured arm. It would scar and create ripples and colors to match the sun.

Aki found herself cheering with all the Sun Warriors; her brother would be the best priest ever!

* * *

The feast that followed the ritual was the grandest Aki had ever attended. Hundreds of pickens had been roasted and cooked with herbs. The juice of sweet summer fruit dribbled down Aki's chin as she reached for just one more.

"Maz-Rah. That's what they call me." Maz drank a bit more of the wine and raised his right arm. "I'm the only one who did not cry out in pain."

"You'll be a great priest." Their father clapped a strong hand on Maz's left shoulder. "I cannot say how proud I am of you, Maz."

"Maz, you were the best!" Aki exclaimed, food dribbling from her mouth. "The way you just took in the flame and, and, and, it was beautiful! I want to be just like you!"

As her father and brother laughed, Aki's mother answered, "You'll grow up and be a stunning healer, my daughter." She fixed Aki's skewed hair. "But you still have time."

"A healer?" Aki pouted, remembering societal customs. She wanted to be kissed by the sun, not hidden inside a house, away from the warmth.

The sky turned darker and the laughter and celebratory music got louder. Aki finished her fruit and watched her brother celebrate with his friends. She tried to imagine dancing when she turned twelve and became a healer.

A frown turned her lips. How would she be happy if she did not want to be a healer? She wanted to choose her own future.

As the flames flickered, Aki's discouragement grew.

* * *

And there ends chapter one! This was a pretty quick introduction to what I plan on doing. I just wanted to get the foundation down and set up the characters. I hope everyone enjoyed it.

Right now, I'm planning on a four-chapter story so the next one should be posted soon.

Thanks in advance for feedback!-randomcat23


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Maz's departure for the temple had been years ago.

Aki's own coming of age celebration passed over a year ago. She was a woman now in the eyes of the Sun Warriors.

Some things never changed, however.

"I bet I could be a great priest."

"What was that?" Her mother turned away from her pot to meet Aki's eyes. "Be a bit more firm with the clay." She pointed a damp finger at Aki's pot, not waiting for an answer. Critique came quickly from her mother these days.

Aki frowned at her pot and tried a different grip. It was supposed to be a serving bowl, but the sides flopped over.

"I wish we could have a few clouds pass over our heads." Her mother wiped her forehead with a cloth.

Aki disagreed, "I think it's nice out."

"Oh, my daughter, do you ever grow tired of the sun?" She laughed as a shadow flashed overhead. "The dragons fly too quickly to serve as good clouds."

"I wish I could breathe fire like a dragon."

"Aki, are you ever content to be just you?" A flare of anger touched her mother's question. It was an old argument. Ever since Maz entered his training, Aki's desire to be a fire priest grew instead of burning out. She knew it was forbidden, but it did not stop her daydreams. Her healer training had ended almost as soon as it had begun, since Aki was late to every lesson. Since then, her mother became Aki's ceramics teacher.

"I'm fine with myself," Aki retorted, "and I know I want to deal with fire."

"You have your place here, among us, working."

"I don't want to work with clay. I want to work with fire! It's not fair." Clay splattered as Aki put a fist through her work. "I'm not even good with pots anyway."

"It takes practice, Aki. Now, clean it up." Her mother rose with her perfect pot and placed it carefully in the heated kiln. "You're more like a pot than you know, Aki." The sternness had left Rialah's voice to be replaced with wisdom.

The disgruntled girl stopped her sticky hands for a second to glance at her mother.

"Make sure you wash yourself before you come inside."

* * *

Lines and lines of pots dried in the sun. Aki noted the various red hues and zigzag patterns on most of them. Some depicted orange fire and sun beams. Very few had anything outside of those parameters.

"Sun Warriors live worshiping the sun and fire." A clay dragon stared at her with black eyes. Just like the uniform pots, the Sun Warriors demanded conformity in social roles, but this dragon was different. Not many dared to attempt to draw the fearsome beasts.

Aki gingerly traced over the drawing, thinking.

_Maybe the dragons would take me in._

Furious and shocked, Aki shook her head to get rid of that thought. How could she leave her parents and her home to live with dragons?

_But maybe I could visit them?_

She paused. Dragons could control fire. The Sun Warriors looked at them as the perfect priests, so to speak. They were one with the flames.

_Tomorrow is a day of rest. _Her heart beat faster with just the thought. _I could travel to the mountains and look for dragon roosts._

Aki looked at her reflection in a shallow water bin near the line of pots. Could she do this? She was twelve, as everyone kept reminding her. But her feet were strong and so were her arms. As she continued to ponder this idea, the sun dried up the puddle in the bin and left it bone dry.

She took that as her answer.

Tomorrow she would find a dragon.

* * *

Dragons lived in the high mountains, inhabiting caves that had once been filled with lava. It would be a long walk, so Aki packed accordingly. She took three water skins and two days worth of food, just in case.

As soon as the sun rose above the horizon, the girl strapped on her leather shoes and pushed through the cloth blocking the doorway. Her parents would not worry; she had told them she felt like going on an adventure and they almost grudgingly gave her permission.

Aki got the impression that her father had said something to her mother. While he did not support her desire to become a priest, he was more supportive of her adventures.

"Let her explore," she had over heard him once. "Maybe she'll learn about plants with a more hands-on experience." Aki was pretty sure her mother had retorted with something, but her father continued, "Until she's married, she is allowed to do those childish things as long as she continues her training in _some_ acceptable trade."

Aki sighed, "Leave the plants to the boring people." Now she was outside the village, following the sun east.

The drought years ago had damaged many plants, but some were on the road to recovery. She shook her head. "Why am I thinking about plants?" Aki laughed at herself and giddiness swept over her body.

She was going to find a dragon! One to teach her to produce fire, no less! The mere idea set her skipping down the road, arms swinging.

What would the dragons look like up close? She had only seen them in the sky, so high, with wide wings.

Would they start teaching her right away?

Would they try to eat her?

Even that last question made her giggle. Of course not! Dragons were allies with the humans since they were the only ones who could make fire. Sun Warriors looked up to them, in a way.

She stopped only to dig out some flat bread from her pack. Then Aki was on her journey again, munching on the snack as her steps continued their hurried pace. Even as the road became rocky, then hilly, and eventually mountainous, the young girl kept her gait swift.

The sun was already high and she did not want to think about the consequences of returning home after dark.

When she heard a roar echo off the walls of the mountain, her heart skipped a beat.

"I've found them!"

Aki peeped over a rock ledge and gazed with glee at the sight of dragons. The large winged beasts rested next to a mountain pool. Some yawned, others crunched bones between their massive jaws. Aki looked at the mountains surrounding them, suddenly glad the dragons were out of their caves and relaxing under the sun. She just had to get closer and ask one!

"_I am Aki, if it pleases you, dragons. I hope you would be nice enough to teach me how to control fire."_ Aki had practiced the words over and over. She wanted to make a good impression on her future teachers.

As she climbed over the ledge, a few dragons took notice of her. She was not sure if it was surprise or hunger that heated their eyes and that made her falter. The tan dragon growled, but the black one bared its teeth to quiet it. It then turned it gaze back to Aki and turned its large, double horned, head.

"What are you doing here, child?"

She stopped abruptly and stood tall, forgetting her elegant speech. "I want to control fire."

The tan dragon snorted a plume of smoke and barked out what must have been a laugh. Aki stumbled for just a second before retaining her proud stance. She met the black dragon's eyes and explained, "I can't be a priest so I want to control fire." Something inside told her not to beat around the bush when it came to dragons.

"We can't help it that you humans deem women unfitting for that role." The black dragon rose from its sitting position and stretched its wings. "Besides, we can't teach you how to control fire."

Aki raised clenched fists, "Please, at least try to teach me! I love the sun and I can't stay in my village and do nothing!" Her head dropped, "I'm not good at anything."

"Should I chase her away?" one dragon asked with a bad overbite. His green tipped scales shimmered in the sun. All the dragons around the pool now took interest in this skinny girl before them.

"No! You can't!" Aki raised her head and started to descend into the pit where the dragons rested. "I won't be scared!" Suddenly her feet began to smoke, burned by the black rocks. She gasped.

Without thinking, Aki raced to the pool of water, intent on jumping in and saving her feet. She did not even bother to scream. But before she could dive in, the black dragon swooped in and picked her up between his teeth.

"Child, you should not be here." His hot breath smelled like ashes. "Look, you did not even realize that the rocks were smoldering and too hot for your skin. And then you did not see that the water was boiling." He set her down on a rock that was simply warm, not burning.

Tears began running down her face and her feet blistered. She cried out and frantically grabbed her pack. After drawing out her herb bag, she picked the right leaves and began chewing them frantically. Seconds later, Aki spat out the green goo and smeared it on her feet. The dragon watched closely as it shook its head. Aki was suddenly thankful for the herb lessons her mother had taught her. But even with the leaves, her feet burned.

"I shall drop you near your village," the black dragon started.

The little girl shook her head furiously. "I came here to learn! I can't go back!"

Instead of shaking its horned head again, the dragon paused and watched Aki's swirling eyes. He observed the angry child before him. Another dragon approached the black one.

"Fuego, this child cannot stay here."

Aki would have yelled at that dragon if her feet didn't burn so badly. Instead, Aki choked, "Please, try and teach me about fire and about the sun!" Why was this going so wrong? There must be some way she had to convince them that she deserved to stay.

"And how exactly do you think you're going to learn how to control the sun, eh, child?" The female dragon scrutinized Aki with aqua eyes. "You are not a dragon. Dragons are the only ones who are blessed by the sun in this way."

"How did the dragons learn to breathe fire then?" Aki shot back, her voice was weak, but not her words.

Fuego, the black dragon cut in, "By loving the sun." His head tilted, pondering the girl before him.

"Well, I love the sun," Aki clarified, but quickly lost her cool as the heat intensified on her feet. She quickly chewed more leaves in hopes of alleviating the pain. Both scaled beasts watched her calmly.

The mean dragon shook its head, "Dragons do not burn. The sun does not give powerful gifts to those who cannot handle them." With that, she turned and sunk into the boiling pool, as if to prove her point.

"Palo is correct," Fuego started and sat down. "Dragons do not burn."

"Fire is how to worship the sun," Aki reminded the beast, remembering her teachings. "Why can't I learn how to worship the sun like dragons do?"

Fuego blinked golden eyes, but offered no answer.

"It's not fair," Aki exclaimed and smacked the ground.

"Life is not fair."

"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," she pouted. "I'm trying to overcome that."

The black dragon rose and flexed his claws. Bending down, he licked the bottom of Aki's torched feet lightly. Immediate relief washed over the young girl.

"Go back to the village. Grow up," the dragon said sternly, but not unkindly.

"But I came here to learn!" She protested.

"Did you think you would learn in a few hours? What do you think the sun is? Some kind of pebble you can just collect and keep forever? It will take time."

Aki lowered her head, she hadn't thought about that. She was so preoccupied with finding a dragon that she did not think about how long it would take to learn to control fire.

"When you are older and have nowhere else to be in the village, then return and I will try and teach you the ways of controlling fire."

Even with her hurting feet, Aki had to smile. "Really?"

"Yes, I get the impression you will not have it any other way," he sighed. "There is something about you, child. You glow with the radiance of the sun."

She didn't know what that meant, but a broad grin stretched her face. "Thank you! I can't wait! Don't worry, I'll grow up and be the best student ever!"

"As you say." He picked her up again in his teeth and launched into the air.

"Whoa!" Aki soaked in the view beneath her. Not only was she going to learn how to control fire, but she was flying, with a dragon, no less! She spread her arms and felt the wind whip around them. They flew through clouds and sun beams. Aki relished the warm feeling on her skin. By the time Fuego dropped her near her village, Aki's face hurt from grinning.

"You need to walk the rest of the way yourself."

Aki stared at her injured feet. It would be difficult, but she could do it, her happiness at the promised future would carry her home. Before she answered the dragon, he took off with a leap.

She'd have to walk slowly, but at least that would give her time to come up with a story to explain her burnt feet.

* * *

Fuego landed near the boiling pool and sat down.

"I don't know what you're planning, Fuego," Palo chided him, "that child has no place here. She will die."

"She just needs to grow up first," he responded and met her gaze.

Palo rolled her eyes and head, "It is impossible. She won't be able to breathe fire."

"She may not have to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe humans can produce fire too, but in other ways."

Palo shook her head again. "It has never been done."

"Only because no human has ever tried. They have been content with playing with fire, rather than creating it."

"That's how they worship the sun," Palo reminded him.

"Well, clearly that girl wants to worship in a better way."

"She just wants to avoid womanhood roles."

Fuego shrugged, "That's part of it, but she does love the sun. It's more than just getting out of responsibilities. She honestly loves the sun." The two dragons turned to the glowing orb in the sky, now red at day's end.

"This could end poorly," Palo reminded him. "Humans burn."

"I'm willing to try playing teacher," he grinned, wickedly sharp teeth shinning. "I've never taught a human before."

* * *

I'm sorry this took so long to post! I got really busy.

Anyway, feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!-randomcat23


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